As soon as I put on 255/50R16 Mickey Thompson drag radials, my car started handling weird. Even going down the road in a strait line, its pulling back and forth constantly. It does it really bad when I am getting on it hard. It squirms under braking too. Has anyone else had this issue with the DR's?

 

What psi are you running them at on the street?

 

under 20 psi and mine acted that way. Around 25 psi on the street and mine were fine.

 

out of curiosity, how well does DR hold up at high speeds?

 

I never really did any high speed runs with either the MT's or my Nittos. Well, I guess it depends on what you consider high speeds. At 100 to 110 they seem pretty stable with around 25 psi. But I never drive that fast on the streets... wink wink.

 

32 Psi

 

lol, they are designed for high speeds. Guys are running over 200 mph on drag radials at the drag strip.

They just don't corner worth a crap. Not what they are designed for.

 

hows your rear alignment, could be that since its a stickier tire they are fighting each other and your experiencing these effects, just a thought. Alot of times when people go to get their car aligned they only align the front

 

I have the same set of tires on my T/A I just got them on a couple of weeks ago and they roll fine. did you get yours used? i got mine used w/ only 3 passes down 1/8 track so all the tread that needs to be there is so they balanced fine and roll fine. I had them at a constant 80mph speed this past weekand on my way to a concert and they rolled well... hooking is great under heavy throttle and 475+ HP behind them

I'd say balance if u haven't lower/add to the psi and get the right fit for your riding comfort... good luck

Rick

 

18 PSI on the street in a GN and they rode nice and the car ran perfectly straight with them. The sidewall is way too soft to do any kind of high speed cornering with them though.

 

Unless you have adjustable lower control arms and panhard bar, there's not much you can do to "align" the solid axle on our cars.

 

Dude, it's a DRAG RADIAL!

The sidewalls are MUCH softer than a traditional radial tire. They aren't designed to impress you under any of the above mentioned curcumstances. EX. Braking, handling... Yes they are able to be driven on the street, and are legal while doing so. But don't expect them to handle as well as a true radial tire.

They are a soft compound tire, with only a fair amount of tread. If you want something that is a little more driveable, try the Nitto DR. Those work well when new under most circumstances. Don't expect them to handle like a regular radial though. I think you've been misinformed. Don't get caught in the rain with these, or pretty much any DRs. You'll be in for a real treat then.

As I said, the Nitto DR is a slightly better choice if you're looking for a driveable DR. They don't hook nearly as good as the MTs though.

That extra straight line hook, comes fromt he soft compound, and soft sidewall. Those are the pros, the cons, are that you suffer handling/braking abbilities greatly.

By the looks of your mods. I'd say you can get away fine with the Nitto, or BFG DRs. The nitto being the better all around street tire. The BFG DR hooks better, but doesn't last as long. They both have a softer sidewall, so your car is still going to sway when taking corners. But it's probably only half as bad as those MT DRs.

I think you made the wrong choice here for a street tire. Sounds like you drive the car on the street a lot. At that rate, the MTs are going to wear down fast as hell anyways. So next time around, I'd say spring for the BFG DRs. They will hook fine at your power level.

Rob


EDIT: Plus 1 to dailydriver. Rears of these cars aren't adjustable, and that wouldn't be his problem anyways.

These tires should be run around 32-34 psi on the street. 18psi is fine at the track, and that is in the area of where these tires will hook the best. Driving on the street at that pressure, is going to give you even worse feel of the car though.

 

Thats what I was thinking. When I had Nitto's they handled great, even cornering. I was reading about the MT DR's that they have a "special sidewall construction" for better launches.

 

like i said it was a thought, i completly forgot about solid axle not having adjustemts

 

special meaning SOFT, especially in that 255/50/16 size.

That's a 5.xx" sidewall.... Good for hooking, that's about it.

 

First time I drove on my DR's I thought I was gonna die when I passed someone and it wallowed all over on them. I was running 32psi. I bumped them up to 36psi on the street and they're much better. I run them at 20psi on the track. I only put mine on for going to and from the track. Anything other than that they just suck. I've had mine a year and only been to the track maybe 6 or 7 times and they're down to the tread wear bar already. They hook awesome but for my stock car they're a bit overkill. I'll probably go to BFG's next.

 

Cool, I am not the only one then. Almost makes it feel like loose steering.

 

These tires do not have a speed rating. They are not designed for sustained high speeds. Yes they will last at high speeds for short bursts such as a 1/4 mile race. I would not suggest to anybody to run these at 100+ for miles on end. I have the same 255/50R16 on my car. I run them at 30psi and have not noticed any adverse handling problems. I have put a couple hundred miles on the street with them and I think they handle ok in the corners...not great but they do ok. I haven't had these in the rain but I have heard countless times not to drive in the rain with these tires.

 

I have a friend that deives with M/T drags on his cobra and puts some mileage on that car too, he hasnt had any complaints.

 

i had bfg 275/50-15s on my car for about 8000 miles of street/strip driving and i drove everyday to school and work. I ran mine at 20psi on street and 16-18psi at the track.